(Yet another) Spell in the Army?

36 years ago we produced ‘A Spell in the Army’ with the Bramley Bratpack in response to young people’s concerns about conscription and national service and their experiences of the armed voices visiting their schools with information about ‘skills and opportunities’.

No one – not even a James Cleverly equivalent – referred to 18 year olds living in a bubble; but here we are 46 years later listening to the same old tired rhetoric being rolled out of how young people need a good dose of national service. It was sickening then, and sickening now.

And also sobered by seeing Jason Calvin recognised as our lighting designer – at the tender age of 15(?) – but who died far too early in the middle of Covid. Jason was one of the original Bramley Bratpack, the first ever youth theatre group I set up in Leeds.

To say his death was a complete shock would be an understatement; to say it should never have happened to one so young, is a cliche but nevertheless true; to say…. it’s times like this when words fail you.  Our life courses pull us up short and and there is nothing left to say other than this one’s for you, Jason Salvin. You were one of the first of a lively, challenging but always inspiring group of young people from Leeds: and your enthusiasm and expertise for all things technical made our first show, He Never! He Did! Are you Sure? run seamlessly, all the way over to the Dortmund Theatre Festival in October 1987.

Your expertise grew with you, and you helped us all feel secure in the technical demands of whatever we were facing: whether this was incoming touring companies, the panto for BBC Radio Leeds or the last show we worked on with you, A Spell in the Army.  I think you were taken up with exams in the summer of 1988, but this didn’t stop you being around for us when we needed you to launch Heave!, the community theatre show we produced, inspired by the Werner Herzog film, Fitzcarraldo. 

You will be sorely missed by so many of us Jason Salvin: thank you for all your support, patience, enthusiasm and expertise.    You dedication made sure our young performers could be seen and heard, something they often didn’t experience in their day to day lives. Bless you, Jason Salvin, RIP.

And in case we hadn’t got it yet, this has nothing to do with ‘skills and opportunities’ and everything to do with a climate of extolling ‘National Resilience’ (see Oliver Dowden of last Wednesday) and being a pre-war footing (see Grant Schnapps back in January).